Maria Sharapova Wins Beijing Crown, Regains No. 2 Ranking

In trademark fashion, Russian superstar Maria Sharapova dispatched reigning Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitova in three sets to lift her first title in Asia on Sunday afternoon.

While Sharapova had reached the final without dropping a single set in the process, she needed a deciding set in her final to overcome her obstacle and pick up the 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 win. While the Russian had a slight lapse in the second set, she stormed to a 3-0 lead in the final set and pushed for the 6-3 finish.

“It was a bit of an up-and-down match I’d say – maybe not the best out of the tournament,” Sharapova said in her press conference. “But it’s never easy playing against Petra. You don’t always quite get a good rhythm. She goes for a lot of shots, very deep, and she’s a very good, confident player.”

Sharapova has now won four WTA titles in 2014, including her second French Open title. She is two titles behind Serena Williams (6), who leads the pack for most championship wins in 2014. Sharapova also moved from No. 4 to No. 2 in the rankings.

“It was a disappointing result for me in Wuhan,” she said. “I thought I was ready for the tournament and wanted to compete. I just didn’t end up with a positive result. Within the time frame of only a couple of days until my first round here, I just had to settle down a bit. Sometimes it just takes a few little things to change things around – maybe some of those results ultimately get you to this position.

“I’m proud I just took a couple of days and did the work I could, and changed the result here.”

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